Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced on Friday that the Navi Mumbai International Airport will open in November or December this year, and that at least 10 cities in India will have two airports each within the next 10 to 15 years.
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of the AAR-Indamer MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility at the MIHAN SEZ in Nagpur. "The country had been waiting for the last 60 years to see Mumbai getting connected to Navi Mumbai, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is today bringing to reality the dreams of people," he said, referring to the
Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) scheduled to be inaugurated by the PM later in the day.
"The Navi Mumbai International Airport will start its operations in November or December this year. This airport's first flight will land in November or December. The airport will pave the way for the big development of Navi Mumbai," the Civil Aviation Minister said.
"In the next 10 to 15 years, there will be at least 10 cities which will have two airports each," Scindia said. The minister also said that he would inspect the airports in Kolhapur, Pune and Navi Mumbai later in the day and on Saturday. AAR-Indamer is a joint venture between AAR, a major MRO in the USA, and Indamer Technics Private Limited. Scindia inaugurated its world-class facility to provide maintenance services to the aircraft operating in India and the nearby region.
Addressing the burgeoning MRO sector, Minister Scindia stressed its critical role in supporting fleet expansion. He noted the tremendous possibilities within India's MRO space and applauded AAR-Indamer for achieving the feat of completing 100 C checks in two years and four months, making it the first MRO facility in India to accomplish this milestone.
AAR-Indamer's greenfield facility is a result of the combined efforts of AAR Corp and Indamer Aviation. Indamer Aviation is India's oldest and largest general aviation MRO, the company said in a release.
Minister Scindia also disclosed the approval for the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to register multiple aircraft by an airline simultaneously, eliminating the requirement for a single aircraft registration at a time. Additionally, he highlighted Boeing's forthcoming inauguration of its second-largest engineering and design facility in Bengaluru.
(With PTI inputs)
